Hollywood Guide: Griffith Observatory, the Sign and the Walk of Fame

Hollywood disappoints visitors who expect glamour on the boulevard, and delights those who look beyond it. The studios largely moved out decades ago, and Hollywood Boulevard is a mix of landmarks, souvenir shops and scruffy blocks. The pleasures are in the hills above it and in the old theatres.

Where to see the Hollywood sign

The sign went up in 1923 as "Hollywoodland", an advertisement for a housing development, and lost its last four letters in 1949. You can't walk up to it; it's fenced off. For the classic view, go to the terrace of Griffith Observatory. For a closer look, Lake Hollywood Park sits right below it in a residential area, so park legally and keep noise down. The upper floors of the Ovation Hollywood shopping centre, next to the Chinese Theatre, give a distant but free view from the boulevard itself.

Griffith Observatory

The observatory opened in 1935 in Griffith Park, and entry to the building is free. Inside are exhibits on the planets and a Tesla coil; outside, the terraces look over the whole basin to the ocean. Come for sunset, as our itinerary does on day one, and stay for the lights. On clear evenings, volunteers set up telescopes on the lawn. Parking at the top fills quickly and is paid. The DASH Observatory bus runs up from the Vermont/Sunset Metro station, or you can hike up from the Fern Dell entrance in about forty minutes.

Hollywood Boulevard

Walk the few blocks from the TCL Chinese Theatre, with celebrity handprints in the forecourt, past the Dolby Theatre where the Oscars are held, to the El Capitan and the Egyptian Theatre, a 1922 movie palace. The Walk of Fame stars run for about fifteen blocks. Look at them in passing; there's no need to hunt for a name. Costumed characters who pose for photos expect a tip afterwards. The B Line stops at Hollywood/Highland.

Beyond the boulevard

The Hollywood Forever Cemetery holds graves of film stars and screens films on the lawn in summer. For a real studio, take the Warner Bros. tour in Burbank, over the hill, or combine the sights here with a night in West Hollywood, compared in our where to stay guide.